New York, 20 March 2024 (TDI): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on States at the UN Security Council on Monday for nuclear disarmament.
He emphasized that the way to this would be through the following six areas of action that incorporate dialogue and accountability.
He further emphasized that after almost 80 years since the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the threat of nuclear weapons looms large on global peace and security.
“Nuclear weapons are the most destructive weapons ever invented, capable of eliminating all life on Earth. Today, these weapons are growing in power, range, and stealth. An accidental launch is one mistake, one miscalculation, one rash act away,” he reported at the Security Council.
Proliferation of Nuclear Arsenals denounced
The meeting on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation was summoned by Japan, Security Council president for March. Antonio Guterres also noted that Japan is the only country that knows better than any other State “the brutal cost of nuclear carnage.”
These events have been held at a time “when geopolitical tensions and mistrust have escalated the risk of nuclear warfare to its highest point in decades,” the UN Chief reported.
In addition to this, the Secretary-General further iterated that, despite appeals to take a step back from the ultimate disaster of a nuclear catastrophe, “States possessing nuclear weapons are absent from the table of dialogue.”
He went on to report that, “investments in the tools of war are outstripping investments in the tools of peace.”
According to the Secretary-General, nuclear disarmament is the only solution to “vanquish this senseless and suicidal shadow, once and for all,” he reports.
Dialogue on nuclear disarmament
The UN Chief appealed to States who possess nuclear weapons to develop the lead in six areas. Shedding light on some of these include, nuclear weapon states engaging with each other to form transparency and confidence-building measures to deter any use of nuclear weapons.
The second area urges to halt nuclear saber-rattling. Under this, threats to use nuclear weapons in any condition are impermissible.
The third area states that “nuclear weapon states must reaffirm moratoria on nuclear testing.” According to this, States must avoid actions that would compromise the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
The fourth area raises the point that nuclear disarmament commitments must be put into action. For these actions to be realized, nuclear weapon states must follow their commitments to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
The fifth area calls for, nuclear States acceding to the fact that none of them should be the first to use a nuclear weapon. Or none of them should use any nuclear arsenal ever.
The last and sixth area calls for minimizing the number of nuclear weapons. Antonio Guterres calls on the US and Russia to lead the path to reduction. This is because these are countries with the greatest number of nuclear weapons.
He also urged these countries to fully implement the New START Treaty and agree on its successor.
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China and Japan
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on Monday, vowed to launch a new dialogue framework to begin negotiations on a multinational treaty banning the production of nuclear materials that can be utilized in the usage of weapons.
She reported in a briefing to the Security Council that ‘Friends’ engaging with like-minded countries encouraged to “enhance political attention” on the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty.
Kamikawa reported that “we must steadily advance realistic and practical efforts toward a world without nuclear weapons.”
Kamikawa also emphasizes the importance of maintaining that outer space remains peaceful. In addition to this, US United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield reported that “any placement of nuclear weapons into orbit around the Earth would be unprecedented, dangerous, and unacceptable.”
Furthermore, China’s permanent representative to the UN Zhang Jun, called on countries to deter Cold War thinking and encourage nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation together.
Zhang noted that for countries with different nuclear policies and substantial nuclear weapons to follow similar disarmament and transparency directions “is not consistent with the logic of history and reality, nor is it in line with international consensus, and as such will only lead international nuclear disarmament to a dead end”, he reported.
The top Chinese ambassador to the UN reported that the United States must form an example to reduce nuclear arsenals in a far-reaching and absolute manner and to shape conditions for other nuclear weapon states to engage in the nuclear disarmament process.
In addition to this, Zhang Jun also stressed the controllability of AI technology and to “ensure that relevant weapon systems are under human control at all times.”
